Sure, it seems this city runs backward sometimes, but what has always been true for Honolulu is that remarkable people live here. They lead from behind the scenes, oftentimes, making life better for all of us without making too much of a fuss about it. They don’t just live or work here: They build our communities.

When compiling this list, we chose to focus not on those who get a lot of press already, but on people who sometimes miss out on the spotlight. We applaud Pierre Omidyar for giving away more than $1 billion to charity, but we’re also grateful to anyone helping those around them, doing what they can with what they have.

Here are people who lead not because it’s a means to fame or fortune. These are farmers, elementary school teachers, state employees and artists who work tirelessly for a better city because, no matter the advocacy, wisdom, experience or perspective, for this network of leaders, it’s about making a difference.

It takes guts to open a brick-and-mortar bookstore in the days of instant online gratification, but in da Shop, local publisher Bess Press has found a way to allow fickle/loyal readers to have their cake and eat it, too.